Grammar: Pronouns

⭐⭐ Intermediate⏱ ⏱️ 45 minutes📊 Lesson 48 of 121
నేను
nēnu
I
మేము
mēmu
We
నువ్వు
nuvvu
You informal
మీరు
mīru
You formal plural
అతడు
ataḍu
He
ఆమె
āme
She
వాళ్లు
vāḷlu
vāḷḷu They
వారు వస్తున్నారు
vāru vastunnāru
Pronouns
నా
nā
my
నీ
nī
your informal
మీ
mī
your formal
అతని
atani
his
వాళ్ల
vāḷḷa
their Examples
నా పుస్తకం
nā pustakaṁ
pustakaṁ My book
మీ పేరు ఏమిటి
mī pēru ēmiṭi
pēru ēmiṭi What is your name formal

💬 Pronunciation Tips

  • Pronouns are short but critical.
  • The 'ē' in nēnu is long.
  • "Mīru" has a long 'ī'.
  • Practice the distinction between "nuvvu" (casual) and "mīru" (respectful) — tone changes everything.
  • Pronouncing "nēnu" as "ne-nu" instead of long "nē-nu".

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Using "nuvvu" with teachers, bosses or police.
  • Mixing singular and plural forms incorrectly (మీరు for one person is polite).
  • Forgetting to change the verb ending to match the pronoun.
  • Using "adi" for people instead of gender-specific forms.
  • Overusing "nēnu" at the beginning of every sentence (Telugu often drops it).

🌴 Culture Note

  • s Telugu society values respect and hierarchy.
  • Using correct pronouns shows cultural awareness.
  • In villages, even friends may use "mīru" for elders.
  • This respect system is one of the first things native speakers notice about learners.
More on this topic

Is "vāru" and "vāḷḷu" the same? వారు is more formal; వాళ్లు is common in speech.

Do pronouns change for gender in "you"? No — "mīru" and "nuvvu" are gender-neutral.

Can I drop pronouns like in English? Yes, Telugu often omits them when context is clear.

Related Lessons Card 1: Grammar: Nouns Card 2: Grammar: Verbs Card 3: Grammar: Sentence Structure Card 4: Daily Conversation: Friends Card 5: Grammar: Questions.

Related Lessons

Telugu Pronouns Quick Reference⭐⏱️ 10–12 minutesGrammar: Sentence Structure⭐⏱️ 45 minutesGrammar: Tenses⭐⏱️ 55 minutesGrammar: Adjectives⭐⏱️ 35 minutes
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